


Once Bitten

by FestiveFerret



Series: Fangbait [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Assault, Bloodplay, Complicated Emotions, Dates, Human Tony, Insecure Tony, M/M, Minor Violence, Past Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Patient AF Steve Rogers, Possessive Steve Rogers, Protective Steve Rogers, Referenced Tony/Other, References to Canonical Character Death, Relationship Negotiation, Rushed Sex, Ty is an Asshole, Vampire Steve Rogers, Vampiric Bloodplay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-30 17:00:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17832572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FestiveFerret/pseuds/FestiveFerret
Summary: Steve is after something Tony's not sure he can give: a date.





	Once Bitten

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thank you to sadie798 for helping dig me out of a plot ditch and for providing the title! <3
> 
> Thank you as always to my lovely beta, ashes0909.
> 
> There will be one more part to this series, rounding out a trilogy.

Tony woke up with every inch of him aching in the best possible way. Unfamiliar sheets were twisted around his ankles and he kicked his legs free to stretch. His skin pulled and caught on what felt like a thousand tiny bites littering his body. His morning wood gave an extra twitch as memories of last night came flooding in. _ Wow. _

He rolled over and found the other side of the bed empty. Not unusual with vamps - they didn't sleep much, if at all. More than once, he'd been left to let himself out on his own. 

Pulling on his jeans, Tony wandered the hall trying doors until he found the bathroom. He peed, rinsed his mouth, and did a cursory check in the mirror to make sure none of his injuries were likely to open again. There were marks all over his arms, chest, neck, and thighs, but Steve had been astonishingly careful and they were all small and scabbed-over already, nearly pain-free. He couldn't help a little peek into Steve's medicine cabinet. Most of the vamps Tony spent the night with didn't have much in the way of human stuff, but Steve's bathroom had bottles and jars of various creams, medicines, and even a new-looking box of bandaids. Tony wondered if they were all from Steve's late mate, or if he kept the house stocked for human visitors.

Tony stopped back in the bedroom to grab the rest of his clothes, as well as his knife, and shuffled into the front of the house, pulling his shirt on as he walked. He expected Steve to be gone, but instead he leapt up from the couch like he'd been electrocuted, at Tony's appearance. "Good morning."

"Morning." Tony looked around the room for his jacket. Surely, he'd dumped it somewhere on the way to the bedroom.

"Your shoes and jacket are in the closet," Steve said, suddenly much closer, intense blue eyes focused on Tony. "If that's what you were looking for."

"Uh, yeah. I was. Thanks."

"Do you - uh - breakfast?"

"No thanks." Tony searched Steve's face, sensing there was something he didn't understand. "I don't really eat in the morning."

"Oh. Okay."

"You alright?" Tony asked.

"Sure." Steve took a purposeful-looking step back and smiled. It seemed a bit forced, though. "Do you - um."

Steve didn't seem able to finish his question so Tony worked his way over to the closet and pulled out his jacket and shoes. He found sunglasses in his pocket and slipped them on then ran his fingers through his hair until it hopefully looked less like he'd been fucked sideways and then slept on someone else's pillow. He should leave before Steve imploded with morning-after regret. "That was fun."

"Oh." Steve frowned.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Tony leaned towards the door. There was something so homey and soft about Steve's place. His skin itched to be out in the grating bustle of the city again.

"Yeah, I just - nevermind." He shook his head. "Do you, uh -?"

"Yeah?"

"I had a good time," Steve managed, and he deflated, desperation glowing in his eyes.

Tony snorted. Ah, not regret, just awkwardness. "Yeah, me too. Alright, give me your phone." Steve was clearly gunning to be on Tony's Fang List, and he wasn't going to have to twist Tony's arm too far. Steve handed over his phone without question and Tony typed his number in next to "Tony" and an emoji of fangs. He handed it back, and Steve's face lit up with a grin. 

"Thanks." He typed for a second, and Tony's phone buzzed in his pocket. 

Tony laughed. "You goof. Okay, I have to go home before my roommate calls the cops on you. Bye Steve. See ya around." He leaned in and rested his hand on Steve's chest to press a kiss to his check. Steve's hand snapped up to cover his and he tipped in towards the kiss.

Tony's hand burned as he stepped away and slipped out the door. The fresh morning air felt good on his flushed skin, clearing the haze that had settled over him as soon as he'd set foot in Steve's house. There was something…  _ a lot _ about that guy. Tony shifted and the brush of fabric ignited the bite marks covering his legs. The pain brought flashbacks of last night with it. 

"Go home, Stark," Tony hissed, jogging down Steve's front steps and out to the street. He walked two blocks then hailed a taxi. 

Rhodey was up and making coffee when Tony breezed in through the door, so Tony wrapped his arms around him from behind and made obnoxious kissy noises until Rhodey shoved him onto the floor and promised him coffee.

"How was your night?" Rhodey asked, once they each had a mug and were settled on the couch.

"Fucking amazing."

Rhodey cocked an eyebrow.

"This guy, Steve, he's almost a hundred, but he was with his last mate for like seventy years and he's adorably clueless. But holy shit is he good at sex. I've never felt so fucked out in my life."

"Shit, Tony." Rhodey's lip curled. "I don't need to know that."

"Sure you do. Because you're boring and committed and you live vicariously through my exploits."

"More like I live on the edge of a panic attack, waiting to get The Call from the hospital. Speaking of boring and committed, Carol wants to know if you want to go to dinner with us next week."

"Sure." Tony shifted around until he had his legs hanging over the arm of the couch and his head pillowed against Rhodey's leg. His muscles whimpered, sore. He needed a shower. 

"So what was so great about this Steve guy?"

Tony shrugged and sipped his coffee awkwardly, trying not to spill without having to sit up too much. "He was really sweet. Super hot, but also really nice. He worked me over for ages, never drank too much. I dunno, I guess he made it about me instead of getting his suck on."

Rhodey looked down at him disapprovingly. "You  _ should  _ be with guys who make it about you, Tony. You're not just a horny bloodbag." Tony just huffed and Rhodey went on. "You going to see him again?"

Tony shrugged again. "I gave him my number, added him to the list. He was all sappy last night after coming his brains out, but you know what it's like."

"I don't, actually."

"Don't you get the urge to tell Carol you love her after she's sucked your brains out through your dick?"

Rhodey blinked at him. "I do love her, though."

"Oh. Right. Well. Orgasm makes people sappy. I've had more love declarations than I can count, then you find yourself out on your ass the next morning without even a cup of coffee and taxi fare." Tony carefully failed to mention that he'd been just as struck with the sappy shit the night before. "I was his first one night stand after his mate died."

"Oh, shit."

"Yeah. He was cool though. It wasn't weird. And I gave him my number because who knows?"

"He might fuck you to the edge of sanity again?"

"Yeah, exactly. See, you get me, honeybunch."

"I'll get you out of my lap. Not only do you desperately need a shower, but I'm late for work." Rhodey patted Tony on the forehead then shoved him unceremoniously off his leg. "Seeya. Check for infection on those bad boys," he added, tapping his finger next to the throbbing patch on Tony's neck.

"I will. I do. I'm careful."

"I know. I wouldn't let you go if you weren't." Rhodey grabbed his bag, and Tony tipped his head off the side of the couch to watch him leave upside down.

"Bye, mom!"

"Fuck you!" He shut the door behind him.

Tony flopped flat on the couch with a groan and ended up drifting off for a few hours, when he came to, he hauled himself up, took a shower then threw on some music and unlocked the door to the second bedroom. All they could afford was a two bedroom apartment, but Rhodey loved him enough that he shared his room with Tony so the other bedroom could be a workshop. It was almost certainly against their lease - hence the lock - but Tony needed a space to invent things and renting a workshop was too expensive.

Tony tipped sideways into science, only stopping long enough to register Rhodey coming in with leftovers, the lights in the hall turning off and turning on again, and Rhodey setting coffee by his elbow and leaving for work.

Pausing for the coffee had the opposite effect intended, and Tony ended up conking out in his chair for several hours. When he woke, his stomach growled painfully and he had to pee like crazy. He stood to stagger off towards the bathroom, but a buzzing made him realize that he hadn't woken naturally; his phone was ringing.

He picked it up and stared at the caller ID. There was no name, but the last message listed was "Steve" followed by a familiar looking fang emoji. Huh. It was way, way too early, and way, way too sober for a booty call.

He answered more out of curiosity than anything else. "Hello?"

"Hi, Tony. It's Steve."

Tony smirked. "I know. I have caller ID and everything."

"Oh. Okay, well. Good. Uh. How are you?"

Tony blinked at the scuff-marked wall and tried to shake the cobwebs of sleep out of his head. "Huh?"

"I was just… asking how you are?"

"I'm… fine. What -?" Something wriggled its way through the fog. "Did you call me just to chat?"

There was a long pause. "If this is a bad time..."

"No," Tony found himself stumbling to say, laughter welling up in his chest. God, that was too precious - why didn't he find it annoying? "No. It's not. Just give me one minute?"

"I can call back." Uncertainty and discomfort were wound through Steve's voice. "Or… not."

"No, no. It's really okay. You just caught me - uh. I just need one minute. Promise."

"Alright."

Tony set the phone down and stared at it for a moment then hustled off to the bathroom. He peed, rinsed his face, then grabbed a bag of chips and started coffee gurgling. He picked up the phone again. "Sorry. I'm back."

"Hey."

"Did you really just call me to chat?"

"Yeah, I did. I felt like talking to you. Is that okay?"

"Sure. It's just…" he resisted the urge to say "weird". "Unusual. It's been a while since anyone wanted to chat with me."

"Can't imagine why."

Tony broke into startled laughter. "Yeah, alright, you charmer. Well, my day was spectacularly dull. I worked and I slept, and that was all."

"What kind of work do you do?" Steve asked.

"Uh… bit odd. I'm sort of a mad inventor? I sell designs to whoever will buy them. Not very lucrative, but we get by. Guess I'm technically a contract engineer or something, but I like mad inventor better."

"'We'?"

"Me and Rhodey. My roommate."

"Oh, he's the one you were texting the other night."

"Yeah. So what about you?" Tony poured his coffee out and added milk then settled on the couch. His back screeched at being twisted awkwardly for so long and he silently apologized. 

Steve sighed softly. "Not much. I read for a bit. Worked out. You're uh - the other night… it kind of gave me a burst of energy I'm not used to. Did a bit of pacing." He laughed uncertainly.

Tony hummed. "You know you don't have to charm me into giving you another taste. I'm pretty easy."

"I - what? No…" Steve cleared his throat. "I wasn't. That's not why I called, Tony." His voice had dropped soft and low and it made Tony shiver even though the room was plenty warm. "I really like you. I thought I'd made that clear. I  _ am  _ hoping we can go on another date, but not because of the blood."

"Sweetheart," Tony drawled, "that wasn't a date. But if you'd like to go on a first one, well, I guess, why not?" Even as he said it, Tony grimaced. Was he really agreeing to go out with one of his one-night-stands? He hadn't been on an actual date in years.

But Steve made a pleased noise and breathed out, "thank you," and Tony couldn't help preening at the idea that Steve wanted to see him so badly he was nervous about it. Tony still wasn't convinced he wouldn't just back him into a bathroom stall, suck him dry, and never call him again, but it wasn't like Tony would be deeply opposed to that anyway. When your expectations were already in the basement, it didn't take much to surpass them.

To Tony's surprise, when he finally hung up the phone, his coffee was long cold and new crick was in his back. He and Steve had talked for over an hour. What about, he couldn't really remember, all mundane, boring stuff, but it was such a change of pace from  _ come over baby  _ or  _ what would you do to me if I was there  _ that Tony stayed on the couch for a while after, sipping his cold coffee and pondering Steve. 

Tony had never really thought about dating. He'd been playing the fangbait game for so long, he wasn't sure how to do things any other way. But part of it was that Tony had a thing for a vamps - a thing for being sucked and bitten, taken hard, acres of smooth, cool skin - and in his experience, vamps only wanted one thing from him.

Sure there were some who bonded, and some still who bonded with humans, but Tony had always assumed it took a very special human to attract someone who was immortal. And Tony wasn't special at all. He was a one night suckjob. And he was good at it.

Then again, maybe Steve was just continuing to be adorably bad at this. Tony wouldn't put it past him to be utterly clueless about how this all worked nowadays, not knowing he could just text Tony an eggplant emoji and he'd be in a taxi in a heartbeat. 

So Tony refused to get his hopes up. Steve had somewhat reluctantly agreed to meet Tony at Spike's for their date. It was a fang club, mostly, not really romantic, but there was a dining room where they served dinner - real food and blood - and Tony felt safe there. He knew the staff and a lot of the regulars, and if Steve either didn't show, ditched him partway through, or turned out to be a dick, Tony had lots of other options.

He didn't tell Rhodey, and he wasn't sure why. Dressed up, Tony grabbed his keys, wallet, and strapped his woodcore knife to his ankle.

"Going fang shopping?" Rhodey asked from his desk in the corner.

And Tony lied. "Yup. I'll text you if I go home with someone."

"Thanks."

In the cab on the way to the club, Tony tried to figure out why he hadn't told Rhodey. The only answer he was able to come up with, was that if it all went up in smoke - which he fully expected it would - he didn't want Rhodey's pity. Still, there were anxious caterpillars squirming around in his stomach the whole ride over to the club.

Steve was waiting outside when Tony pulled up, and Tony's breath was momentarily dislodged from his lungs. A dark blue button up hugged his should-be-illegal body. Tony flicked through his mental slideshow of their night together with pleasure, regretting once again that he'd had the blindfold on for so long; Steve was worth seeing.

"Hey," Tony called, and Steve turned, his resting vamp face lighting up with a smile.

"Hi, Tony." He reached out and hooked Tony's waist then drew him in, pressing a cool kiss to his cheek. 

Tony mourned the loss of his steady presence as soon as he stepped back. Tony eyed Steve up warily, trying to judge his intentions. But Steve just led the way into the club, past the dancefloor and to the quieter lounge. He picked a table and Tony sat on one side, immediately fiddling with the folded paper drinks menu. 

"I'm really glad you agreed to go out with me," Steve said bashfully - an odd look for a hundred-year-old superbeing.

Tony shrugged then winced when he realized how rude that was. "Sure."

"So…" Steve started with a smile, "mad inventor, huh?"

"Yeah." He shrugged. "I'm actually, uh, working on a cheap, portable water purifier right now?"

Steve brightened. "Really? Tell me about it."

And he sounded so genuinely interested that Tony was off. He loved talking about his inventions, but he had so little opportunity to do so. Rhodey had heard it all, knew it all, and Tony didn't really have any other friends. The vamps he went home with certainly didn't give a shit what he did in his spare time. Except Steve, apparently.

It was only when Tony heard a familiar voice call his name that he realized how far over the table he was leaning and he straightened up and looked over Steve's shoulder. Ty, of all people, was approaching their table with a smirk.

"Are you okay?" Steve said softly. "Your face just did this thing…"

"Fine," Tony bit out. He rose as Ty reached their table and let himself be pulled in for a cheek kiss. He could hear Ty breathing in his scent before they pulled apart. "Hey, Ty."

"Tony… always a pleasure to see you." His eyes cut to Steve and there was a moment of deep tension but neither said anything. Tony didn't want to introduce Ty, and Steve didn't look like he cared to know him, either. Ty turned back to Tony. "Come dance later?" he said in a low, conspiratorial whisper.

"Maybe." Tony raised a significant eyebrow at him. Ty could be possessive, but usually he wasn't outright claim-y. "I'm kind of busy right now."

Ty's eyes cut to Steve again. "Right…" He shot a parting smile at Tony, dragging his fingers along Tony's forearm as he walked past. Tony settled back in his seat. Steve was  _ glowering.  _

"Friend of yours?"

"Yes," Tony said firmly, because the last thing he needed was vamps posturing over him, and Steve seemed to startle out of a sort of trance.

He mumbled, "Sorry," at his plate, then took a long drink from his water. He took a deep breath and smiled again. "Where were we?"

Tony tensed as he realized how much he'd been monopolizing the conversation before. Wanting to swing it back towards Steve, he asked, "How old were you when you were turned?"

"I was twenty-six," Steve said easily. "We were deep in wartime. I wanted to serve my country but I was sickly as a human, too weak to fight. But my best friend shipped out, and, left on my own… well let's say I had a knack for getting into trouble. Fanged trouble found me one night and I woke up dead." Steve sighed. "But I got my chance to fight. They offered papers to vamps who enlisted back then, and it wasn't like I had anything to do alone in Brooklyn anyway. I signed up, shipped out, met Peggy." Steve's voice went soft and low. "She was an agent with the SSR and she helped train my unit."

"Wow. She sounds incredible." She really did. Tony wasn't sure if he should be impressed or jealous. 

"She was. You, uh, you remind me a little of her…" Steve once again gave the impression of blushing, eyes dropping to the plate in front of him. He smirked and fluttered his eyelashes cheekily at Tony. "Guess I have a thing for mouthy brunettes."

Tony snorted. "So… after the war?" he prompted.

"Oh, right. After the war we came back to New York, bought a house, got normal jobs. My best friend was killed overseas - he was the only non-fang member of our special ops unit, the Howling Commandos. And my parents were long gone. So we just started over. Peggy just charged in and set up camp. She was a firecracker her whole life, right up until the day she died. Even when she couldn't remember who I was anymore, she was still making all the nurses hop to it."

"You really loved her," Tony said quietly. It was overwhelming and awe-inspiring to be in the face of a love that strong. 

"I did. Still do. Doesn't mean I don't know that part of my life is over though." Steve leaned across the table. "I'm ready for the next chapter."

Tony nodded and was saved having to come up with something to say by the waitress appearing. After ordering, the conversation lightened. Steve talked about his house renos and some of the more amusing aspects of living with vampirisim, things Tony had never considered, even after years of playing fangbait. He never stayed the morning after, never got to see them like that. But Steve had him laughing and joking, falling into banter almost as easily as he did with Rhodey. Whenever he paused to think about it, he was faced with a new rush of anxiety, but then Steve would draw him back to conversation, and Tony forgot to feel weird about it.

After the appetizers were nothing more than crumbs on their plates, Steve excused himself to the bathroom. 

Not wanting to sit around and wait for Steve to get back, alone with his confused thoughts, Tony stood and made his way to the nearby dance floor. It was busy enough to be interesting without being packed, and Tony quickly fell into the easy freedom of moving to the music. It smelled like sweat and blood and hunger in the gyrating crowd - this was Tony's world. He settled near the edge, close to their table, and thought about Steve coming back and sitting in his chair. He'd find Tony's empty, know he hadn't passed him on the way to the bathroom, and search the crowd for his shape. He'd find him swaying and spinning on the dance floor, breath coming just a little hard, a light sheen of sweat across his brow. He'd watch, entranced. Maybe he wouldn't be able to just watch. Maybe he'd cross the restaurant and gather Tony up, hauling him off to sink sharp fangs into his soft skin.

Hands landed on Tony's hips and he leaned back into the touch, but the hot breath on his neck and the curve of the body that folded around him weren't ones he expected. "Ty," he murmured with an edge of warning.

Ty ground his hips forward. "Let's get out of here."

"Fuck off, I'm on a date," Tony said, even as he swayed his weight back into Ty's hold.

Ty snorted and dug his thumbs into Tony's waistband. "Tony Stark doesn't date. Ditch him. I've got tequila at home. Let me get you wasted and then suck it out of you."

It was an appealing prospect, if only for its simplicity. Tony didn't like Ty, no one did, he was an asshole, but he was halfway decent in bed, he liked spending money on his bloodbags, and he was predictable. Steve was likable; Steve was gentle and kind and hot and entirely  _ unpredictable,  _ and that made Tony's stomach churn with anxiety. But he thought about Steve's soft blue eyes gazing at him from across the table, asking questions that made it clear he'd actually been listening to Tony ramble on about his inventions, and he wriggled his way out of Ty's grasp.

"Not tonight, Ty." He smiled and twisted off to the side. "Wait your turn." When Tony inevitably turned out to not be what Steve wanted, when he was too used up and sucked dry, too mouthy and self-deprecating and lonely and desperate, and Steve cut him loose from whatever weird tractor beam he'd caught him in, then he'd call Ty, get fucked properly, and put this whole weird week behind him. Because, while Tony was absolutely one hundred percent sure he was going to ruin this, he couldn't bring himself to sabotage it on purpose.

Ty huffed and shifted away, but the appeal of the dancefloor had faded, and it wasn't long before Tony stepped out of the crowd and made his way back to their table. Steve was sitting stiffly in his chair, a napkin twisted between his fingers. "Enjoying yourself?" he asked lightly, but Tony could taste the uncertainty underneath his words.

"I was." Tony smiled up at him, trying to project as much interest as he could muster. "But it got a bit crowded. I thought you might like to watch, but maybe a private dance later would be more your style."

Steve's eyes cut sharply from Tony's face to his neck, throat bobbing as he swallowed heavily. "You were dancing for me?"

"Mhm." Tony shrugged. "You left, and I don't handle bored well. What were we talking about?"

Steve softened. "I was about to ask you about your roommate."

"Ah, good old Rhodey." They fell back into easy chatter. Tony dropped a few references to his wild-child ways, watching Steve carefully for signs of disapproval, but Steve merely nodded along; clearly, he knew what Tony was like and was comfortable with it, but Tony couldn't believe it was what he wanted himself. There was something new in Steve's eyes that Tony had never seen before and wasn't entirely sure he liked. Something soft and affectionate and altogether too invested.

"All done?"

Tony looked down at his plate and realized he'd been pushing the same strip of carrot around for a while. "Oh. Yeah, I guess so. That was really good. I should eat here more often."

"I thought you came here all the time?"

"Well, yeah, but if I eat anything, it's usually because the bartender won't let me have another drink until I do, and I get mozzarella sticks or something."

The look Steve gave him was amusingly similar to Rhodey's. The waiter came by with the bill, which Steve plucked deftly from her fingers, away from Tony's eyes. Tony excused himself to the bathroom while Steve paid, brushing close by as he passed, letting his fingers trail over Steve's forearm. 

In the bathroom, Tony studied himself in the mirror while he washed his hands. He looked nervous. That was a new look for him. He didn't know what this was, though. Steve was old fashioned but he'd still fucked Tony to within an inch of his life last time, but this time they were talking and laughing and flirting and that was out of Tony's wheelhouse. Steve  _ was _ going to take him home tonight, wasn't he? The hunger in his eyes when he looked at Tony was unmistakable, but now that he wanted to date instead of just fuck, maybe Tony wouldn't be getting any tonight. That was an odd thought.

He pushed his way out of the bathroom but stopped when he saw a figure leaning back against the wall in the small hallway, fiddling with his phone. His eyes came up and met Tony's; they were deep and dark. Hungry. "What's up with you today, Tony?" Ty drawled. "You're usually more fun. Do you owe that guy money?"

Tony huffed out a sigh. "I told you. I'm on a date, jackass." He rolled his eyes in Ty's direction. "I'm sure he'll dump me in no time and I'll be all yours, but tonight, I'm off limits," he added in a low mutter, shuffling down the hall and back towards the dining room.

Ty moved so quickly, all Tony registered was the sudden thump of something against his back. It was the wall. Ty leaned in, pinning Tony in place, and huffed vodka-laden breath into his face. "Don't fuck around. I know you're a slut but if I want a taste, I get one. You don't say no to  _ me,  _ Tony."

"Fuck off!" Tony struggled, but Ty had him held fast. 

Ty nuzzled under Tony's chin then ran his fangs down the length of his neck. "You know I like it when you squirm, gets the blood pumping. Come on baby, give me a taste." He bit down.

Tony choked off a frustrated yell, not wanting to make a scene, but his knife was strapped to his ankle, and Ty knew that. He had one leg between Tony's, trapping the knife against the wall, and the weight of Ty's chest against his was too strong to let Tony bend to grab it anyway.

Ty wouldn't drink too much, he wasn't an idiot, he just wanted to mark Tony up, could probably sense Steve's interest ran deeper than Tony's usual and wanted to stake his claim without actually having to face off against a vampire 50 years his senior. And Steve would see Tony's neck when he came back from the bathroom, and his face would do that little, disappointed falling thing it did. He'd have confirmation that Tony was an untamable slut, and he'd never call again. The thought hurt more than it had any right to, after only one and a half dates.

Tony squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his head back against the wall, an involuntary whimper leaking out as Ty's fangs found his vein and he sucked. And  _ fuck _ it hurt. "Ty-" Tony started to say, but then the weight against his chest was ripped away, leaving him gasping and stumbling to find his balance.

Steve was at the other end of the short hallway, a few feet away. He had one fist closed around Ty's neck, his shoes dangling a good foot off the ground, but Steve wasn't looking at the whimpering vampire in his grip, he was looking at Tony, eyes pinched with concern. Ty scrambled desperately against his forearm, scratching roughly, but Steve appeared not to notice. His gaze bored into Tony. "Are you okay?"

Tony found his breath and reached up to test his neck. His fingers came away wet and red, but only barely. Ty hadn't had the chance to take more than a little. "I'm okay."

"Tony."

"I'm okay," he said, steadily this time. "Honest. He barely got me."

At that, Steve turned to Ty who was cursing breathlessly and choking where Steve had him pinned. Steve's voice dropped low and terrifying, making Tony curl against the wall involuntary at the tone alone. "Never. Touch Tony without his permission. Ever. Again."

Ty nodded, stupid, but not stupid enough to take on a vamp as old as Steve, and Steve released him. Ty moved so fast, Tony was pretty sure his feet didn't hit the floor. He was just gone. Steve approached slowly, stopping a solid two feet away from Tony. "You sure you're okay? You're bleeding still."

Tony reached out and took Steve's forearm, drawing him in close, and tipped his head to the side, baring his neck. He heard Steve's sharp intake of breath at the submissive gesture.

Gentle fingers stroked along Tony's jaw then Steve bent down and laved his tongue softly over the wounds. Tony shuddered and pulled him even closer, caught between the shakiness of the adrenaline fading, and the sheer relief of Steve not walking out and leaving him there with his shame. "Thanks."

Steve tugged Tony in his arms, turning as he did so Steve's back was to the wall. He left his grip loose. "Some friend, huh?"

"Yeah… he's not really a friend. More of a… hookup." Tony took the opportunity to bury his face in Steve's solid chest and still his pounding heart for a moment.

"I gathered that."

"Sorry."

Steve leaned Tony back and peered at his expression. "You don't have anything to be sorry about."

Tony had a lot to be sorry about, but it didn't seem like the place or time for that conversation. "Take me home?" he asked hopefully, trying to bat his eyelashes and probably landing somewhere in rapid blinking instead.

"Of course." Steve tucked Tony against his side and led the way out of the club, not letting go the whole time they waited for a cab. When it arrived, Steve tucked Tony inside then slid in after him. The cabbie leaned back, waiting for an address, and Steve looked at Tony.

"What?" Tony asked.

"I don't know where you live."

"I thought we were going to your place."

Steve's brow creased. "You asked me to take you home. I can get my own cab if you don't want me to know where you live, but I'd like to see you home safe, if it's alright."

"Uh, yeah." Tony held back a giggle. "I meant  _ take me home.  _ As in, to your place. You know."

"Oh… oh." Steve cleared his throat then gave the cabbie his address and they pulled away. "You sure you don't just want to go home and go to bed? Not that you couldn't just do that at my place. I mean, we can do whatever you want, but after -"

"I'm fine." Tony shifted around on the seat until he was half in Steve's lap. "I want to go back to your place." He leaned in and sucked Steve's earlobe between his lips. "For dessert."

Steve made a soft breathy noise that went straight south to Tony's cock. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"I'm sure." Tony nuzzled into Steve's neck. He smelled like a pleasant mix of sweet and spicy. "I want you. I still have your bruises on me from last time. That was incredible."

Steve's hands skated down Tony's sides and settled on his hips. "What do you want?"

"I want you to take me. Hard." Tony's body ached to be held down, used up, fucked deep and rough and unrelenting. A hot, uncertain feeling was creeping up Tony's spine again, and he wanted to be fucked so hard he couldn't remember his own name let alone what was bothering him. "I want you to bite me, suck me dry."

Steve's hands clenched hard. "Even after -?"

"Yes," Tony growled. "I don't want his mark on me." He bared his throat to Steve. "I want you to make it yours."

_ "Fuck."  _

Tony should have known the effect the possessive words would have on the vampire. He gathered Tony in his arms, breathing in his scent heavily and rocking their bodies lightly together. Tony sunk into the hold, burrowing into Steve's neck and nipping along his collar bone before sucking lightly, making Steve shudder around him. 

When the cab came to a stop outside his house, the cabbie made to turn around and Steve growled to warn him back, then tossed a handful of bills in the front seat and bustled Tony out into the drive.

Tony wasn't entirely sure his feet hit the ground. He also wasn't entirely sure Steve had unlocked the door before barrelling through it. All Tony knew was one minute he was in the back of the cab and the next he was being manhandled onto Steve's lap on the couch in his living room, a hot mouth sucking on his neck. 

"Oh god, fucking bite me, please. Suck me dry." Tony ground down against the cool firm lines of Steve's body and shuddered with the rush of pleasure. Steve had put him carefully on top, probably still worried about giving Tony space after Ty, but Tony didn't want space. He wanted to be devoured. He wanted Steve's hands and cock and fangs to chase away the unease that creeped up in the corners of Tony's mind whenever he thought about this night too hard. This  _ date.  _ Because Ty was easy to deal with, Tony knew plenty of assholes, was used to being taken advantage of, but Steve's gentle care was harder to face. He couldn't think about it. All he wanted was to be wrapped up and smothered in him, pinned down and taken and used. "Come on, don't hold back," he moaned. "I want it, want you."

Whatever calm control Steve had exhibited last time, it evaporated now. Steve tugged Tony down with a handful of his hair, and hot fangs sunk deep into Tony's neck, over Ty's mark. Steve sucked hard and a drip of blood tickled down Tony's collar bone. 

"Fuck, yeah." Tony's hips ground forward of their own accord, rubbing off against the smooth, firm acreage of Steve's abs. And even with the rough scratch of Tony's jeans, he was on the edge before he knew it. Steve didn't pause for breath, he just burrowed in deeper and sucked hard enough that Tony could feel the blood whipping out of his veins and flooding Steve's mouth. "Oh god, _ shit, _ I'm going to come in my pants if you keep that up."

Steve growled again then twisted, keeping his fangs buried in Tony's neck and his arms wrapped around Tony's back. They tumbled to the floor, but somehow Steve managed to keep Tony from hitting hard, taking the landing himself then lowering Tony gently to the carpet after. He sucked again, obscene, wet noises spilling from his mouth where it was latched to Tony's neck. Tony scrambled for Steve's belt, tugging and plucking at whatever bits of clothing he could get his hands on. 

Steve finally broke away, rocking back on his heels to whip his shirt off and then start on Tony's pants. His mouth was smeared dark red with blood, and he panted around glistening, bright white fangs. The cool air hit the wounds on Tony's neck, already crusting as the blood dried on his skin, and he bit his lip to stop from begging Steve to dive back in, suck more, harder. He wanted to get him naked first.

Tony tugged his wallet out of his pocket then kicked his pants off with Steve's help. He found a packet of lube in his wallet before tossing it aside as well. Steve shoved his own pants down to his thighs, his cock dark and weeping. Tony handed him the lube and he ripped it open with his teeth, dropping down to suck Tony's cock down his throat while he slicked his fingers.

And  _ fuck  _ those dangerous teeth were so close to Tony's cock, the hint of them sliding up the length as Steve pulled back, and it drove Tony crazy, right on the edge of danger and pain, but at maximum pleasure instead. "Please fuck me," he begged, and two of Steve's slick fingers immediately found his hole in response. 

"God, Tony, I -" Steve whined, then he latched his mouth to the inside of Tony's thigh. The pain of his fangs sinking into Tony's skin warred with the pleasure of Steve's hot, wet fingers pressing him open, and Tony arched up on his shoulders, keening and gasping. He didn't want to come yet, wanted to be clenched down around Steve's cock and feel those delicious waves of pleasure roll through him, but he couldn't last like this much longer. Steve was a tornado of sensation.

A hot sweat broke out on the back of Tony's neck. He pressed his heel against Steve's shoulder, not sure if he was squirming out of his grasp or writhing up into it. "I need more," he begged, squeezing around Steve's fingers.

Steve broke the bite with a gasp, then grabbed Tony's hips. He flipped him over, and Tony choked back a yelp as he suddenly found his face pressed in the carpet, ass lifted up towards Steve. A hot wet tongue laved over Tony's hole and he whined, sucking in desperate air through the carpet fibers.

Steve wasn't slow or teasing like the last time. This time, he took and took until Tony was a shaking mess, leaking precome and spit into the carpet, and begging endlessly for  _ more, more, more.  _ Steve's tongue circled his rim then pressed inside as he licked and sucked, deadly teeth lightly brushing the sensitive skin of Tony's ass. "I can't -" Tony finally all but sobbed, utterly overwhelmed. "I need - please."

Steve pulled back then bent again and sunk his teeth into the meat of Tony's ass, biting hard and unforgiving. The pain was sharp but brought a wave of soft pleasure after it, tingling and flooding his body from head to toe.

"Oh my god, fuck, fuck." Tony's hips jerked and he almost came, almost tipped over the edge, but he squeezed his eyes shut and relaxed his muscles and managed to hold off. 

Without taking much blood, Steve broke the bite and flipped Tony gently back over again. The marks on his ass immediately burned, his hole, wet and sloppy, twitched and flexed, empty and needing to be filled again.

Steve started kissing and nipping his way up Tony's body, fingers back to stretching him open with rhythmic presses. He brushed his lips over every yellowed bruise that dotted Tony's skin from the last time they were together, finishing with a line of sharp kisses along Tony's jaw. "Are you okay?" Steve asked breathlessly.

"I'm okay, I'm so okay," Tony moaned, "but I'm not going to be okay for much longer if you don't fuck me - and I mean hard, and deep."

"God, Tony, your  _ mouth."  _ Steve's eyes snapped to that mouth and he bent and sucked on Tony's lip then nipped it lightly, his fang nicking the skin and drawing a bead of blood which Steve licked away. "You taste… fuck. I want to take my time with you but - you make me -" he broke off into a growl then bent to Tony's neck, the blunt pressure of his cock replacing his fingers. 

"No - no time taking," Tony gasped. "Now, you - ah  _ fuck!"  _

Steve slid into him in one long, slow press and Tony couldn't find his breath. Steve stretched him wide, long and thick, and  _ hard.  _ Tony reached over his head to grab two handfuls of the soft carpet and hold on for dear life as Steve started to thrust. His lips skated up to Tony's ear. "You -" he gasped.

Steve hauled Tony further up into his lap and practically folded him in half as he bent down to suck a dark bruise on his chest, just above his nipple. Every thrust scraped Tony's ass across the floor and reminded him of the claim Steve had made on his body. His neck was probably bleeding onto Steve's pristine carpet, and Tony tipped his chin to the side on instinct, baring himself to Steve.

Steve laved over the holes he'd just made on Tony's pec and moved up, licking at the dried blood on Tony's skin before fastening his lips over the still open wounds on Tony's neck. He sucked gently but didn't slide his teeth in again, drawing the blood up slowly, then lapping Tony clean.

"I can't even describe how you taste, Tony. It drives me wild. I just want to drain you dry." Steve's hips pistoned, his cock pressing deep and gliding over Tony's prostate.

Tony clenched down, rolling into the thrust, light headed and overstimulated. "I'm going to come, oh my god."

"Please wait," Steve whispered in Tony's ear. "Just hold on for me. Just a little longer. I want to feel you. The way you move around me when you come -" Steve fucked into him even deeper, using his considerable strength to draw Tony up further, wrapping him up tightly, Steve all around him and deep inside him. 

Tony bit down hard on his lip and wrapped his arms around Steve's shoulders, holding on for dear life. Steve's thrusts sped up, wild enough that it wouldn't be much longer before Tony had no say at all in whether he came or not. Steve sat back a little and wrapped his hand around Tony's cock, stroking it with a matching rhythm. "Oh god, oh god, I can't - I  _ can't  _ hold back, Steve please -"

"Okay, okay," Steve gasped. "Come for me. Come on Tony."

Tony expected Steve to lean in and bite down again when the first waves of orgasm crashed over him, but instead, he watched, eyes fixed hungrily on Tony's cock as it twitched and splashed come over his stomach and dripping down to the carpet. 

"Tony - I -" Steve rocked once more then clenched his hand on Tony's hip, breaking into a gasping moan, eyes squeezed shut. He folded down, and Tony could feel his cock pulsing deep inside him, sending an aftershock shuddering down his spine. Steve covered over him and gathered him up as the waves faded and settled, panting pointlessly against Tony's shoulder.

Tony dropped his arms to the carpet, limp as spaghetti and let out a long, slow breath. He felt like he'd run a marathon. Steve couldn't have taken very much blood, but Tony was drained dry on all fronts - absolutely wiped, perfectly fucked out.

"You okay?" Steve gasped into his ear, and Tony nodded.

"So good," he slurred.

Steve eased back, and along with the fresh air that rushed in, came all the anxiety Tony had been holding at bay. Steve's eyes were so soft and so kind, little hearts popping above his head and Tony needed to get  _ out.  _ He swallowed heavily and shifted away, sitting up and scooting back; he crossed his arms self-consciously across his chest. 

He couldn't meet Steve's eyes, but he could hear his shaky little sigh. Then Steve moved away, rising to his feet. He disappeared into the kitchen, and Tony sat up, still on the floor. Feeling unusually exposed, Tony tugged a blanket off the couch to cover himself. This was why he didn't date, why he should have said no. He thought back to their last night together. It had been easy then, to just let go and sink into whatever silliness the post-orgasm haze brought with it. Because it didn't matter, none of it was real. But Steve wanted it to be real. It was hard to pretend that wasn't true anymore. Tony had been waiting for the other shoe to drop, for Steve to look at him and really  _ see  _ him and change his mind. But instead, Tony was going to have to hurt him. And that was going to suck.

Steve came back with a glass of juice that he handed to Tony, then he sat on the couch by Tony's feet, twisting his fingers together awkwardly. "Tony…"

"Yeah, I'll go." Tony made to stand up but Steve shot him such a concerned look that he sat down hard again.

"I can't let you go until you've had some time to recover. And your juice." Tony started sipping and Steve went on. "I don't actually want you to go at all," he said quietly. "But I can't really ignore that you seem to have one foot out the door all the time. I really like you, Tony. I want to date you, court you, whatever it is. I want to earn you. I think you were right when you said I could be happy with you. I want to explore that." He swallowed heavily. "But I think maybe you don't? So, as much as I want to pretend that it's fine, it's really not. If you only want this to be about -" he waved a hand, presumably at what they'd just done "- and nothing else, well, that's not really me. I don't think my heart can take it. So…"

Tony fiddled with the condensation on the outside of his glass. "I'm the first person you've been with since Peggy. I really don't think you can be that sure you like me that fast."

Steve blinked at him. "But that's _ why _ you're the first person I've been with since Peggy. I had years, years when I could have picked someone else, but I didn't. I waited. And I picked you."

"Oh." Tony knocked back the rest of his juice to give his hands something to do. Hot anxiety crawled up his spine and settled heavy in his throat. "Oh. That… being happy with me stuff. That was just, you know, in the moment. I didn't really mean it." The words stuck in his throat even worse than when he'd lied to Rhodey earlier.

"Okay." Steve heaved a sigh. "Okay. Fine. Well, I tried. I had a really, really good time tonight. This was incredible, so thank you. And for what it's worth, I think you could be happy with me too, Tony. I don't think you're happy right now, picking up a new set of fangs every night, but what do I know?"

"Nothing. You don't know anything about me." Tony fought against a wave of fear. He'd been spending the night with blood-amped, horny vampires for two years and he'd never felt fear like this, like something was going to catch up to him any minute. His woodcore knife offered no safety this time.

"Right," Steve snapped, eyes dark. "Well, you won't have to worry about seeing me at those clubs you go to. I think I've had my fill for a few decades."

Something hot pressed against the back of Tony's eyes like a searing brand, and he dropped them to his lap and blinked heavily. He set his empty glass on the coffee table and rolled to his knees to start collecting his clothes. Steve took the glass and disappeared into the kitchen again. He heard the tap turn on.

Dressed, Tony made a beeline for the door, chest filled with something heavy and immovable, like concrete. He had to get  _ out.  _ He didn't bother to say goodbye, running for his life now. He slipped out the door, one hand clenched to his chest.

But out on Steve's front stoop, he didn't feel better, if anything, he felt worse. "This is bullshit," he hissed at himself. Why did it hurt so much to leave?

He took a few steps across the grass and noticed his hands were shaking. "This is bullshit," he said again. "You're a fucking coward." He turned on his heel and marched back up to the door. He charged in before he could chicken out, and Steve startled up from where he'd been sitting on the couch, wrapped in the blanket Tony had just discarded. 

"Tony? Did you forget-?"

"This is bullshit," Tony said, squeezing his hands into fists in his pocket to hold his ground.

Steve came a little closer, inching along like Tony was a feral kitten he might spook. "What's bullshit?"

"I like you," Tony admitted. "I don't… do that. And no one wants to keep me. But you want to keep me." It came out more like a question than a statement.

Steve nodded. "I do."

"And I like you, so much. So why can't I just -?"

"Stay?" Steve offered gently.

"Yeah."

Steve reached out and caught Tony's sleeve then tugged lightly, and Tony tumbled forward landing against his chest. Steve gathered him up in strong, safe arms, then bent to brush his lips against the curve of Tony's ear. "So stay."

"I'm scared." Tony pushed his forehead against Steve's chest. 

"Me too."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Tony." He rubbed his hands over Tony's back. "I was with the same person for over seventy years. Of course, I'm scared. You terrify me. But you also make me feel amazing. And I'm not so scared that I'm willing to lose that just to stay in my safe little bubble."

"That's a good way to put it," Tony muttered.

"I'm not asking you to bond with me, not now. I'm not even asking you to be my boyfriend. I just want to know there's a shot at something more. I want to give us a try. As more than just fangfuck buddies."

"Not  _ now?  _ Does that mean you might want to bond with me someday?" Tony reared back and searched Steve's eyes for the lie, but they were bright and steady and honest.

"I wouldn't be asking you to stay if I didn't. I can't promise I'll ever be ready to, and I can't promise that we'll make this work, of course, I can't, maybe it'll crash and burn after a month, but if I couldn't at all imagine a future where I wanted to ask you to bond, I wouldn't have called you in the first place."

"Huh. Wow." Tony had never even come close to being asked to bond. He'd been asked to do a lot of stuff, some of it bordering on not quite physically possible, but belonging to someone forever? That didn't happen. But the happy future he'd had a glimpse of last time he'd been in Steve's arms felt almost close enough to touch again. 

"I'm sorry. Is that too much?" Steve's hold loosened, and Tony clutched him close again until he squeezed him tight.

"Nope. Maybe. I don't know. I guess it's nice to know that I'm not unlovable. That maybe someday you could…"

Steve eased Tony back and hooked two fingers under his jaw. He tipped his chin up then bent and kissed him, soft, slow, gentle. It was more of an answer than Tony would ever get in words.

"Can we go lie down?" Tony asked. He didn't know if he was light-headed from blood loss or panic, but all of a sudden, he needed to be horizontal.

"Of course." Steve hit a few light switches then scooped Tony up in his arms. He carried him to the bedroom they'd used last time and lay him out, pulling back the blankets and tucking him in. He dropped most of his own clothes then crawled in beside him. Tony kicked his jeans off under the blanket then curled in against Steve's chest. 

"I'm not good at this. I'm going to screw up. Maybe a lot."

Steve shrugged. His fingers carded through Tony's hair. "I'm going to screw up too. All I'm asking for is a chance to try."

"Yeah, okay," Tony whispered, flattening his palm over Steve's stomach. The room was warm and quiet and cozy, and he felt wholly, undeniably safe, here in Steve's firm hold. He could do that. He could try. "I'll stay."

**Author's Note:**

> As I said, there will be one more in the Fangbait series, but I'm not sure when I'll get to it. Sub to the series to get updated!
> 
> Thanks for reading! <3


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